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Prakash Adhikari has been appointed as the Secretary of the House of Representatives.

President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Adhikari as the Parliament Secretary on the recommendation of Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal.

Ritesh Kumar Shakya, spokesperson of the Office of the President, said that Adhikari was appointed as the Secretary of the House of Representatives in accordance with Article 106, Clause (1) of the Constitution of Nepal, on the recommendation of the Speaker.

Earlier, President Paudel had removed Secretary of the House of Representatives Harkaraj Rai from his post on the recommendation of the Speaker.

Adhikari was appointed as the secretary after Rai was relieved of his post.

Discussions on the government’s policies and programs for the fiscal year 2083/84 have begun in the National Assembly. 

The deliberations on policies and programs have started on a party basis in the meeting today.

In the meeting, NA Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal informed the assembly that eight amendment proposals were received on the policies and programs, including a joint amendment proposal from 19 members.

Before that, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, on behalf of Prime Minister Balendra Shah, proposed that the Assembly initiate discussions on the government’s policies and programmes for the fiscal year 2083/84, as mentioned in the address delivered to the joint sitting of both houses of the Federal Parliament by the President on May 11.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) surged by 4. 15 points to close at 2, 740. 25 points on Wednesday.  

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 0. 70 points to close at 467. 55 points.

A total of 5,643,288-unit shares of 339 companies were traded for Rs 1. 56 billion.

Meanwhile, Asian Hydropower Limited (AHL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 11. 42 percent.

Similarly, Dhaulagiri Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (DLBS) was the top loser as its price fell by 11. 17  points. 

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 67 trillion.

The government’s policies and programs have been tabled in the Parliament for deliberation amid protest from the opposition parties. 

Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle presented the document on behalf of Prime Minister Balendra Shah in the second meeting held on Wednesday.

Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal had allowed Finance Minister Wagle to table the government’s policies and programs in the Parliament. 

The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, has warned of boycotting the House if the Prime Minister does not take part in the discussion on the government's policies and programs.

Opposition parties disrupted the Parliament meeting on Wednesday demanding the Prime Minister Balendra Shah's presence in the discussions.

Following the disruption, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal gave floor to Congress lawmaker Arjun Narsingh KC.

Speaking at the House, lawmaker KC insisted that the Prime Minister himself should answer questions raised on the government's policies and programs.

He also warned of boycotting the parliamentary proceedings if the Prime Minister remained absent from the discussions. 

The government has approved the Nepal Government (Work Division) Regulations, 2083.

A Cabinet meeting held today at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers also approved the amendment to the Electronic Governance Commission (Formation and Operation) Order, 2079. 

According to Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Bikram Timilsina, the meeting also decided to approve The Land Related (21st Amendment) Rules, 2083. 

The government has nominated members of the House of Representatives Sushil Khadka (Baglung) and Yogesh Gauchan Thakali (Mustang) as members of the Public Investment Management Committee. 

A police team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has arrested Jyoti Prakash Pandey, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Investment Mega Bank, from Sindhuli on charges of auctioning off government property illegally.

Pandey has been held on charges of participating in the auction process by violating government rights over the assets of Smart Telecom when the Nepal Telecommunications Authority has taken the private sector Smart Telecom's entire assets, telecommunications infrastructure, telecommunications system, and telecommunications network under its control.

According to the Bureau's spokesperson Shiva Kumar Shrestha, it has been revealed from the investigation that Chief Executive Officer Pandey participated in the auction process as the chairman of the 'Loan Recovery Committee'.

Pandey, who was fleeing after switching off his mobile phone, was arrested during a vehicle check at Kamalamai Municipality–6 with the assistance of a police team dispatched from the District Police Office Sindhuli.

The Smart Telecom's licence was automatically cancelled on April 16, 2023 as it did not renew it. According to the Telecommunications Service Provider Property Management Regulations, 2079, the Authority took control of the property.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 302, 200 per tola today.   It was traded at Rs 302, 900 per tola on Tuesday. 

The price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 15 per tola and is being traded at Rs 5, 710 per tola.